Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United States President Donald Trump were seen heaping praises on each other as they both met at the Mar-a-Lago
estate in Florida. Israel has never had a friend in the White House like President Trump, said Netanyahu, while Trump said that Israel would not have existed without President Netanyahu. Praising Netanyahu, Trump called him a "war time prime minister" who did a phenomenal job. "He is a wartime prime minister. He has done a phenomenal job. He has taken Israel out of a very dangerous period of trauma," he said. "Israel might not exist right now if you want to know the truth. That's a pretty big statement, but I think if you had the wrong prime minister, Israel would not exist," Trump added, as Netanyahu, standing next to him, nodded and smiled. Also Read -What is the Israel Prize? Netanyahu Says Trump to Receive Country's Highest Civilian Honour
Meanwhile, Netanyahu said that "Israel has never had a friend in the White House like President Trump." "His leadership, clarity, and unwavering support for Israel are exceptional. True friendship is proven in moments of challenge, and President Trump has stood with Israel every step of the way," Netanyahu posted on X after the meeting.
Netanyahu also praised Trump earlier as he entered Mar-a-Lago for the meeting, saying, "I think Israel is very blessed to have President Trump leading the United States, and I'll say leading the free world at this time."He further added, "I think it's not merely Israel's great fortune. I think it's the world's great fortune."
This was the first meeting between Trump and Netanyahu in nearly two months. Trump had earlier visited Israel in October during the period when a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was announced alongside the release of hostages.
Netanyahu's visit also comes at another critical moment in Gaza as Trump looks to create fresh momentum for the US.-brokered Israel-Hamas ceasefire that is in danger of stalling before reaching the complicated second phase of the agreement. Trump, with Netanyahu by his side, said he wants to get to the second phase "as quickly as we can." "But there has to be a disarming of Hamas," Trump added.
Before his talks with Trump, Netanyahu met separately with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
